The New Zealand Dryland Forests Initiative (NZDFI) is a commercially-oriented research and development project. It aims to develop genetically improved planting stock and management systems for ground-durable eucalypt species suited to New Zealand’s dryland regions.

Measuring heartwood in young trees

Identifying trees with high heartwood and extractives content at a young age is a fundamental challenge for the NZDFI.

UC PhD student Yanjie Li has extracted several thousand E. bosistoana cores from 99 families of trees as young as 6 years old.Heartwood volume in the cores has been measured, and near-infrared spectroscopy (NIR) used to analyse them for extractives content. Results show familial differences in both heartwood and extractives content, indicating these traits are under genetic control. Good news for NZDFI's tree breeders!